Case Study OR Experiential Project

Project 2 – Case Study OR Experiential Project: Due Week 5

Recognizing that our students are in different locations and have access to different resources, I offer you a choice between two projects below for submission. Read the instructions for both carefully before choosing.

Case Study Option: Focus on Ethics

From the textbook, select one of the following “Focus on Ethics” scenarios:

5.2 Righteous vengeance
6.1 It’s only marijuana
6.2 Improbable Cause
7.1 My best cop, but…
7.2 To trust a partner
[Source: Fuller, J. R. (2010). Criminal justice: Mainstream and crosscurrents. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall.]

Each case presents an ethical dilemma. Describe the ethical issue fully, as well as the arguments both for and against your final course of action. What are the considerations? What are the potential long and short term consequences? Who benefits or is injured by the decision options? Using information from the textbook, the course conferences, and 2 outside resources, what course of action would you take?

Format Requirements

·      Paper should be a minimum of 1,500 words or about six pages

·      Double space

·      12 pt. font

·      1” margins

·      Use APA citations for all sources

·      Include reference page (not included in word count)

Additionally –

·      Create a cover page for your assignment (not included in word count)

·      Include your name

·      Course title and number

·      Project title

·      Topic selected

·      Date of submission

Experiential Project Options

In this project, you will conduct one of the following—practitioner interview, criminal court visit, police ride-along, or correctional facility visit.

Practitioner Interview

Your task is to interview an individual of your choice involved in the criminal justice system: a police officer, attorney, judge, probation officer, researcher, current or former inmate, etc. (Note: Military personnel have the option of interviewing an equivalent person in the military.) Should your “expert” not be listed here, contact your instructor.

1) Provide the purpose of the paper and background information on the selected person. 2) Record the person’s views on the criminal justice system—whether it works, in what ways it doesn’t work, and the future of the criminal justice system.

Write the paper in a narrative format, detailing what you learned as the result of speaking with this person. Do not submit a “question-answer” paper. 4) Compare and contrast what your person says with relevant sections/chapters of the text. Outside sources are encouraged. 5) When using the text or other sources, properly document and reference them.

Criminal Court Visit

Your task is to visit a criminal court session. (Note: Military personnel have the option of visiting the military equivalent.) Depending on when you attend, you could see a series of cases or only one case. Write your reflections on what you observed and how the proceedings seemed to affect the administration of justice.

1) Begin with a cover page with your name, project title, course, and date submitted. 2) Write an introductory section explaining the purpose of the paper. 3) Write your reflections on what you observed and how the proceedings seemed to affect the administration of justice. 4) Compare and contrast what you viewed with relevant sections/chapters of the text. Outside sources are encouraged. 5) When using the text or other sources, properly document and reference them.

Police Ride-Along

This is an observational assignment that focuses on the use of discretion by the police officers who patrol our communities. (Note: Military personnel may participate in a ride-along with a military police officer.) Your task is to ride with a police officer for a few hours and observe who is stopped and why. Who is arrested and why? How does the use of discretion play into the patrol officer’s job?

1) Begin with a cover page with your name, project title, course, and date submitted. 2) Write an introductory section that includes the purpose of the paper and information on the assignment of the officer, his or her department, and the date, time, and duration of the ride-along. 3) Using a narrative format, provide the officer’s views on the use of discretion in his or her job, then follow this with your observations and conclusions based on his or her performance. Use the questions above to guide your observations and questions. 4) Use research information from the text in analyzing the information obtained. 5) When using the text or other sources, properly document and reference them.

Correctional Facility Visit

Your task is to visit a correctional facility (adult, juvenile, military) and compare and contrast what you see with what the text indicates.

1) Begin with a cover page with your name, project title, course, and date submitted. 2) Write an introduction that provides the purpose of the paper and information concerning the facility visited. 2) If possible, interview residents, administrators, and correctional officers. How do they view the correctional process? What are the pros and cons of the types of facilities we have in the United States? How has corrections changed over the past ten years? 3) Write the information down in a narrative format. 4) Compare and contrast the information obtained with chapters/sections in the text. 5) When using the text or other sources, properly document and reference them.

Format Requirements

·      Paper should be a minimum of 1,500 words or about six pages

·      Double space

·      12 pt. font

·      1” margins

·      Use APA citations for all sources

·      Include reference page (not included in word count)

Additionally –

·      Create a cover page for your assignment (not included in word count)

·      Include your name

·      Course title and number

·      Project title

·      Topic selected

·      Date of submission

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